Websites should be designed for mobile, quick to load, easy to navigate, and have the same quality content for all devices.

Universal Design of Websites

“Smart” technology is the trend these days.  Statistics show that the number of smartphone users exceeds those of basic phone users in United States alone. There is now a very small number of people who do not have a cell phone. This implies that in the United States, there is an estimate of over one hundred million people who have access to the internet in their hands, purses, and pockets at anytime and anywhere they go. Case in point, there is a huge need for mobile web design.

Smart phones are now the main tool people use in order to gain access to the internet. Previously there were many disadvantages users faced with the first use of smartphones. This was simply because most web pages were not user-friendly when accessing the Internet through these gadgets because their viewing screen is smaller than the average computer. The result would either be poor navigation or the page would not load. This is the onset of why people started to create separate sites – sites designed for a smartphone. This is now known as mobile responsive design, or fluid web design; not to be confused with a mobile website. A mobile website is a compartmentalized version of a desktop website. All the functionality is there – as far as links, text, and imagery, however the layout of mobile websites isn’t usually as attractive as that of mobile responsive/fluid web design.

This is great news since a website redirects the user to a mobile type site if it exists. There is faster loading time and there is more ease in navigation. However, there are still problems with mobile sites. Website owners are set with a predicament on whether mobile sets should have calls to action or fewer calls to action. The issue is whether information or call to action (which is vital) should be included in smartphones. Although these devices are smaller, does this imply that certain information should be stripped out from the mobile site? Since that information was on the main website, should it also be included also on the mobile website? These are questions professional web designers take on every day with each and every project. There is a unique solution for every situation.

The Good News

There are limitations on accessing specific websites on a mobile device. This creates a challenge on the side of the website owners to create content that is versatile, and can be viewed on any platform. If content is not important on a mobile phone, then that content is really not important. It should be taken into consideration that most people access the internet through their phones. It is the high responsibility of website owners to ensure that quality content reaches the guest or visitor regardless of the gadget they use.

The challenge is to consider mobile devices when designing any website.

About The Author: Josh McCoy

My name is Josh McCoy, owner/oursmartweb. I am a business leader, SEO Strategist, author/blogger, and web designer. I help companies (like yours) achieve smart solutions for successful results.